The Congenital Heart Disease Intervention Program (CHIP) and Interventions in Infancy

Based on the evidence, presented in Section 2 of this book, that neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes following congenital heart disease (CHD) are significantly determined by parental and family factors, this chapter introduces a family-focused early intervention program, the first in its application across the world. The principles and general interventions underlying the Congenital Heart disease Intervention Program (CHIP) are outlined followed by specific focus on CHIP-Infant, the arm of the study aimed at parents of infants newly diagnosed with significant CHD. Elements of the intervention aimed at improving parent-infant transactions through tailored psycho-education, narrative therapy, problem-solving therapy, and specific coaching in strategies to improve neurodevelopment and feeding are described. The program is evaluated in a controlled trial with the intervention group manifesting significant gains in terms of infant neurodevelopment, feeding, maternal mental health, and family functioning, in comparison to a no treatment, control, group.